Lebron back in Cleveland

Four time MVP and two time NBA champion Lebron James has ended weeks of speculation declaring he's heading home to where it all started.

The Cavaliers have now lept into Championship contention above the Spurs and the Heat. The team is now looking very formidable with 2 number 1 draft picks in Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins along with All-Star Kyrie Irving and James.

The question now is if the Cavaliers can add any more pieces to help James. There have been rumours of a trade for All-Star Kevin Love who averaged 26 ppg last season which would put them in serious contention and also three-point specialist Mike Miller who played with James at Miami Heat.


My tip: The Cavaliers will win the Eastern Conference but lose in the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs who will go back to back.


Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

Los Angeles Lakers Dream Team

Now this team is quite a fantasy with Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James joining Kobe Bryant in Hollywood instantly placing LA in championship contention. For Lebron and Carmelo to both join LA they would have to take pay cuts for the chance to make a championship run, along with the assumption Pau Gasol returns with the two superstars joining. Allowing LA to retake their town where the Clippers have been dominant of recent times.



PG Steve Nash
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Lebron James
C Pau Gasol

Subs: Julius Randle PF
Jordan Farmar PG
Ryan Kelly PF
Kendall Marshall PG
Robert Sacre C

The only question remains who takes the game winning shot?

Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

Can Federer win number 18?

It's almost a fairytale for Roger Federer possibly the most consistent athlete of all time. Winning match after match and doing it with his silky smooth style. If Federer can overcome a tough challenge in rival Novak Djokovic it would be Federer's 18th grand slam title and definitely make him the best tennis player to ever live.

To win tonight Federer he needs to keep coming forward and try and keep the points short and sharp. Like he has done all tournament where he has been ruthless dropping his serve only once all tournament which is extraordinary in itself. If he gets stuck in a grind where he is rallying too much from the back of the court he could find himself in trouble quickly, rallying is Djokovic's game and he will make it a titanic battle and let his superior fitness take over. With Federer adding Stefan Edberg to his coaching team he has been able to implement some new ideas into his game making him more efficient than ever. Novak has been scratchy at best in making the final but he is a big time player with a good record against Federer. Its a mouthwatering clash I feel Federer will win in 4 sets and make it 18 grand slams to be one of the most dominant sportsmen of all time.


Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

NBA Mock Draft: Top 10

Andrew Wiggins - Kansas -  6'8" SF

- Can't go past Wiggins as the top pick he has got too much of an all-round game that would suit the NBA. With season averages of 19 ppg and a career high 43 points he can already show that he is a high volume scorer. He is also very athletic with many acrobatic dunks and alley oops in his highlight reel.

Jabari Parker - Duke - 6'8" PF/SF

- He's very kobe esque the way he spins on a defender stays balanced and finishes on offensive, he's an excellent rebounder and when he needs to can hit big shots down the stretch of games also. For mine Parker has the NBA written all over him.

Dante Exum - Australia - 6'6" PG

-I'm a bit bias here but he could go as high as number 1 his extreme size, athleticism, and skill set at the PG position put him on any teams list. He's a bit unknown as to how his game could compare in the NBA but he has that Aussie toughness and length that can cause trouble for any PG.

Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State - 6'4" SG/PG

- Smart plays with passion, aggression and is always looking for his teammates who may be open. His game is very similar to Dwayne Wade and he is a sure bet for guard prospects in the top 10.

Joel Embiid - Kansas - 7'0" C

- After having a stress fracture in his back his draft stock has dropped drastically, with concerns over his longevity and if could be another Greg Oden. But before his injury he was a certain top 3 with his finishing abilities and defensive skills. If can prove is durability he will be a great player in the NBA.

Julius Randle - Kentucky - 6'9" PF

- Randle is a solid player in this draft he is very strong and athletic down low but its his perimeter and outside shooting that need work. In the post he is a beast and being a lefty gives him some added variety to his game. If he can fix his up and down games on the offensive side of the ball he can be a consistent performer in the NBA.

Gary Harris - Michigan State - 6'4" SG

- He is a guy who won't do anything amazing in the draft combine with his average length and athletic ability but he will win basketball games. He averages 17 ppg for the Spartans and if they can go deep in the NCAAs that will be huge for his draft stock.

Nik Stauskas - Michigan - 6'6" SG

He is about as close clone to Clay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors as your going to get. He is an outstanding shooter both spotting up and pulling up. He can be very up and down though like Thompson so like Randle consistency is a big key for him as a shooter. Defensively he does need a bit of work on muscling up and being a pest he tends to give away to much room.


Doug McDermott - Creighton - 6'8" SF

- The numbers he has put up this year have been hard to ignore, he shoots the ball at a high percentage and is a volume scorer. He reminds me of Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Pelicans where he comes off screens and hits threes but can also create his own shot. He isn't very athletic but if he can keep shooting the ball, well that won't matter.

Willie-Cauley Stein - Kentucky - 7'0" C

- Cauley-Stein's prowess is more on defence where he averages 3 blocks 7 rebounds and 9 points a game. So he is a solid double double player and con do the same in the NBA. He plays very similar to Kris Humphries of the Boston Celtics where he can score, but is more effective doing work off the ball and on defence to help his team win. With not many bigs in the draft he can sneak in to the top 10 with a successful NCAA tournament.

Preview: Memphis ATP 250 Event

The ATP now moves onto its american hard court swing leading up to ATP 1000 events Indian Wells and Miami where the best players in the world will be competing for the title.

But first its Memphis, last years winner Kei Nishikori is again playing and he will be the man the beat. Aiming to go back to back after last year defeating Feliciano Lopez in the final 6-2, 6-3. Hardcourts are Nishikori's favourite surface and with the tournament being indoors it suits his aggressive baseline game. Also in the draw is runner-up Lopez who will be looking for another strong result this year, along with Lleyton Hewitt and Yen Hsun-Lu who make out the top four seeds. The other notable names in the draw are made up of young Americans; Ryan Harrison, Tim Smyzcek, Denis Kudla and Jack Sock.

But the biggest drawcard in the tournament is Wildcard entrant Nick Kyrgios. The young Aussie teen has seen his ranking skyrocket in 2013 over 700 spots and he is a real threat in this tournament with his big serve and forehand. Another factor in Kyrgios' favour, is that the tournament is best of three sets which won't expose his fitness too much and he shouldn't get too tired. Like we have recently seen at the Australian Open where he was cramping during his five set battle with Benoit Paire, everyone in the draw will be hoping they don't play him. The other dark horse will be Ryan Harrison who has been struggling of late with some form and confidence. He performs well in his home country and a bit of USA support may be what he needs. If he can get a good three set win under his belt and regain a bit of confidence he could challenge for the title.


Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

Top 10 Tennis Rankings in 2016

Rankings

1. Andy Murray                                            

2. Grigor Dimitrov

3. Milos Raonic

4. Juan Martin Del Potro

5. Bernard Tomic

6. Kei Nishikori

7. Novak Djokovic

8. Stanislas Wawrinka

9. Jerzy Janowicz

10. Christian Harrison

It was a mixture of who is still going to be around from the current top 10 players and who were the young guns coming through to break up the current big four. Andy Murray being the youngest of the top 3 players, I see him eventually overtaking Novak Djokovic and Nadal altogether being World No. 1. Closely followed by Grigor Dimitrov whose nickname is "Baby Fed" because he plays so similarly to him, after his recent breakthrough at the Australian Open making the quarter-finals. Next is Milos Raonic who is yet to make a big dent in grand slams but has a big serve and big forehand which in years to come could be the best in the world. Juan Martin Del Potro has to be in the top four just because of his power game and the fact that he has already won the US Open two years ago. Bernard Tomic comes in at No. 5 with his elusive talent and extreme playmaking, but needs to keep a tab on his personal life with a controlling father who is in the media spotlight for the wrong reasons and Bernie himself being in the papers for his bad boy attitude. Kei Nishikori is the baseliner out of the bunch with a mediocre serve but his movement along with his rally speed and depth will be up there with the best in the world by 2016. Novak will still be at the top of tennis I just don't think he will be at number 1. With people starting to workout his game and matching his fitness you will see him slowly move out of the top 5. Along with Stanislas Wawrinka who won't last very long at No 3. but my belief is that he will stay a very good player after what he just pulled off winning his first grand slam title beating Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open. At No. 9 is Jerzy Janowicz the fiery pole has a huge serve and forehand to match we are yet to see the best of him. At No.10 is Christian Harrison younger brother of Ryan Harrison is 19 years old with a career high ranking of 350. At 14 years old he was the best player for his age in the world, but he has been hampered by a number of unlucky injuries. When he has been on the court he has had great results losing in a tight match to John Isner 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 at the Atlanta Open, he has also made the Doubles Quarter-Finals at the US Open partnering up with his brother.  

Floaters: 

Ryan Harrison: After breaking onto the scene at 15 years old winning an ATP match he was one of the youngest players of all-time to win a main draw match, but he is still trying to find his feet after a career high ranking of 43 he now sits outside the top 100 but my belief is that he is bound for big things with his fighting ability and all round maturity of a great player.

Nick Kyrgios: Currently ranked 182 in the world at 18 years old he has been touted a future top 10 player with Tsonga going as far to say he is the future of the ATP tour. He has qualified for the US Open and has won a couple of grand slam matches in his young career. 

Thanasi Kokkinakis: At just 17 years old he is the youngest of the top 10 and he has already won his first grand slam match and played Davis Cup against France he is definitely one to look out for in the future.

Vasek Pospisil: The Canadian who burst onto the scene by qualifying and making the semi-finals at an ATP 1000 event in Montreal, has massive potential with a great serve and volley game but also gets a lot of success rallying from the baseline.

Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

2k- Australia's Future Tennis Stars?

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios have been touted as the best teenagers prospects in the last 10 years and have potential to be top 10 players within 2-4 years.
They have both experienced Davis Cup Last week debuting against France and fought valiantly but came up short after gaining great experience of what it takes to beat the best players in the world. As well as learning from Lleyton Hewitt on practice, preparation and what it takes to fight and hang around in matches even when the odds are stacked against you.

Kokkinakis at 17 is the best player in the world for his age and is ranked 402 in the world. He recently qualified for Brisbane International a lead-up event for the Australian Open where he lost in the first round to Lleyton Hewitt 5-7 3-6. He is known for his booming serve regularly clocking 200km/h and his forehand which his game is based around. He also has a grand slam win to his credit after beating Igor Sijsling in four sets.
Kyrgios at 18 came into the spotlight last year after winning the Australian Open Juniors. He then went on to improve his professional ranking from 840 to 182 by the end of the year after winning a round at the French Open and also qualifying at the US Open losing to David Ferrer in the first round. He has a huge power game and regularly wins matches after hitting over 50 winners he also has a big serve which complements how he likes to play.
The improvements they both need to make are tactical; when to go for the big shot and when to rally and change up the tempo and rhythm of the match, but it will come in time and when it does look out.
They have both struggled with injuries over their short careers and the key for their future is if they are able to stay fit and play a full season of matches which will be invaluable for the youngsters  as they are trying to make their way onto the tour. If they can get physically fitter and stronger to match it with the top players the sky is the limit.
By 2016 these two will be household names in mens tennis and maybe even rivals.....


Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

Photo Credit: Sportal.com.au

5 Reasons why the Lakers should tank the rest of the season

The Lakers have used 16 different lineups in 33 games and that almost sums up their season so far in a nutshell.  

No Kobe
Without Kobe the Lakers look like they are confused and looking for a core leader. Gasol currently isn't playing consistent enough to do so and they are subsequently way out of the race in the West 5 games behind 8th spot. He has had two injuries recently with his achilles and now his knee, he should take the rest of the season off and be 110% ready for a big push in 2014-2015 season. If he gets injured again in his return its going to be very hard for a 35 year old to return and be productive, even though it is the black mamba we are talking about i cant see it ending well. 

Picks in Lottery
If they tank the season at least they can get some high draft picks in the draft which is touted to be one of the most talented in recent years, with the likes of Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins. If the Lakers could pick up a top pick, that’s a big step to their rebuild for the 2015 season. Or they could also use the picks as trade bait to try and land a big fish like Lebron or Carmello Anthony which they could pair with Kobe and instantly be a force to reckon with.

Injuries
The lakers currently have 4 players who are unable to play due to injuries. 
The injuries are to core players in the lakers rotation and without them they have role players trying to fill their shoes. In six weeks when they are back playing again they will already be out of contention in the playoff race. 
Kobe Bryant: 6 weeks
Steve Nash: 4 weeks
Steve Blake: 4 weeks
Jordan Farmar: 4 weeks

Kendall Marshall

Their season is going so bad that writers in LA are trying to find any positives that they can and are predicting that Kendall Marshall could be the next Jeremy Lin. Which is far fetched to say the least, In the D-League he averaged 19 ppg which shows he can be a high volume scorer but the NBA is a different beast. Devin Ebanks once played for the Lakers but he was delisted and now averages 25 ppg in the D-League. He will struggle to be productive and with other guys like Gasol, Young and Bryant who are going to be needing the ball his scoring will dry up. He eventually will make his way to the end of the bench behind Nash, Blake, Farmar.

2014-2015

Their will be a major rebuild at the Lakers in the off-season and this will start with trading Pau Gasol, and getting either Lebron or Carmello Anthony to pair with Kobe. The Lakers have made a start by adding good role players: Young, Meeks, Farmar, Henry but they need that extra superstar to help Kobe. Mitch Kupchak doesn't mess around when he has a plan in place and unloading Gasol's 19 million dollar contract will be first on the list to get the cap space for a big free agency period. Expect the Lakers to be back at the top in 2015.

Dan Grantham

Twitter: @GranthamDaniel

Credit: La Times